Yukon Blonde, Commodore Ballroom, tonight at 8 p.m.
They say timing is everything, and 2016 is looking good for Brandon Wolfe Scott so far.
The local musician is beaming as he's couched with an afternoon Americano at an off-Main coffee shop, and for good reason: two years after tracking The Postcard Writer, a collection of tear-in-yourbeer-style country tunes, his first-ever solo record is finally about to hit stores.
He also hits the road this month, but here's the thing: the tour's not in support of his solo set, but rather with his well-travelled, full-time indie rock project, Yukon Blonde. Judging by the genuine smile stretching across the bespectacled songwriter's lightly bearded face, he's taking the scheduling snafu in stride.
"It is kind of unfortunate," he allows matter-of-factly, before shooting off optimistically, "That's the thing about doing solo projects. In a weird way, it's kind of a nice outlet to do something, but I don't
know how much time I'm going to have to focus on it. I'm glad it's getting out there, which is nice."
While eager to link up with his backup players at some point, the relaxed approach
makes sense. He admits, for instance, that some of these songs have been rattling around in his repertoire for the better part of a decade. Others were originally cooked up for laughs under the guise
of Dusty Summers, an alter ego that initially had him handling cattle rustlin' CW with a humorously booming baritone.
"In between tours I would be writing these funny little
country songs for my friends, just for them to hear," he explains. "I think it was a nice way of putting on a mask. I don't feel self-conscious showing songs to people that way, where I put on a real low voice. I showed a couple friends, and they were just like, 'Dude, you should just do these songs.'" Though Scott cites influences like Sons of the Pioneers and Glen Campbell, whom he'd listen to as a youth with his mouth harp-playing grandfather, he knew he'd have to tone down his jokey impression of the genre if he were to play from the heart. Notching his vocals up an octave into his natural range helped too.
"I had some pretty hokey lyrics going on," Scott confesses, listing off titles to early tunes including country Christmas strummer, "Snow on My Stetson."
"One was called 'Rope and Ride.' It's about this guy who really wants this woman to keep up with his manliness, that kind of weird redneck mentality. I just changed them into polite love songs."
A "serious breather" from Yukon Blonde, brought on by years of heavy touring,
led Scott to booking a winter vacation at Zeus member Jason Haberman's home studio in the Roncesvalle neighbourhood of Toronto, where they cleaned up the tunes that would become The Postcard Writer. Though lacking his regular bandmates, Scott was assisted by pedal steel player Matt Kelly (City Colour), vocalist Carleigh Aikins (Bahamas) and more.
"I wanted to get away from everything," Scott says of the EP's musical direction. "I didn't want loud, trashy rock and roll. .. I wanted it to be chill."
Fittingly, The Postcard Writer is a pleasantly airy collection. Intricate, back porch-approved acoustic guitars are plucked tenderly on tracks like the independence-seeking "Anymore," and the wistful "Heartless." "Sleepin' By Your Side" is the record's most overt nod to old time country, a slippery pedal steel supporting Scott's melancholy, motel-locked narrative about longing for home.
The title track likewise examines life on the road, with Scott softly singing about how he'll be dropping a thoughtful message in the mail for his lover. While the idea may seem antiquated to anyone firing off messages 24/7 on their smartphone, Scott explains that it's one of the record's most autobiographical tracks.
"That's a total obsession I have. Every new place I go, I have to get a postcard for my girlfriend. We have hundreds on our wall. Getting something tangible in the mail is sort of a lost thing, these days. I always find it extra fun to do."
With Yukon Blonde's Canadian tour kicking off in just a couple of weeks, it seems like Scott's girlfriend will be tacking up a few more romantic messages quite soon.
Brandon Wolfe Scott's The Postcard Writer is available now via Nevado Records, while Yukon Blonde play the Commodore Ballroom tonight.
- Gregory Adams writes for our sister paper the Westender
